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Aryabhatiya I.2 (Dasagitika, 499 CE) defines an alphabetic numeral system: Sanskrit consonants ka-ma (varga, 25 letters) take values 1-25; ya-ha (avarga, 8) take 30, 40, ... 100; vowels multiply by powers of 100 (a=10⁰, i=10², u=10⁴, ...). This compresses 7-digit astronomical constants into 2-3 Sanskrit syllables, pronounceable in metric verse. Used continuously by Indian astronomers through the Kerala school (~1500 CE).

The Aryabhatiya of Aryabhata · 499